SixthTest anyone?

I see that not contnet with stuffing us 5-0 Cricket Australia want the chance to beat us 6-0 when Australia bid to regain the Ashes in 2010-11(You know it will happen). So I just want to know - do you think its a good idea or are CA just greedy to make extra money (bet you if we agree to six Ashes Tests they don't cut the number of matches in the CB series either)

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Well until fairly recently 6-Test series' between England and Australia were the norm... at least in Australia in the '70s and England in the '80s and '90s.

I can't say I'd be terribly disappointed to see it return, though clearly if it did it would be absolutely essential to first un-synchronise The Ashes and World Cups, which has been talked about but given that the next tour still seems to be scheduled for 2010\11 nothing seems to have been done yet...

And even if it remained a 5-Test rubber, I still think un-synchronising said things is absolutely essential for English cricket. And I've thought on all 3 occasions it's happened that a Champions Trophy prior to an Ashes is something we can do without. In fact, a Champions Trophy which is played every 4 years not every 2 is something we can do with, for the taking-gloss-off-both reasons.

I can see it happening if someone at CA points out that it means that another Test can be played in England at the ground that is due to miss out.

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It makes a bit of sense considering that the normal Australian summer contains six tests, and given Australia doesn't usually host another team during Ashes years it means one venue has to miss out each time around. It's not really necessary for the contest in any way, but I think I'd prefer a six test Ashes series to five and an additional two test series against another nation, given how poor two test series usually are.

At the moment in Australia a cricket chirping in the back yard attracts a minimum of 15 people. My God-awful state team (the Redbacks) attracted a crowd of almost 14,000 just recently for a Twenty/20 match against NSW in 40C heat.
The ACB knows the wheel will turn and one day we will have 1/4 full stadiums again but not now, and not for the Ashes. One more Test, in Tasmania, and all our core cricket bodies will be satisfied and the ACB will need a money bin like that of Scrooge McDuck.

Well the rotation/problem of a Test ground not having a Test match in the English summer wouldn't have to happen for that year if there was a reciprocal 6th Test in England?

Or they could use it to do what they've done with Cardiff and blood a new ground.

Oh, right, you were talking about in England?

Thing is there, of course, that it's not reciprocal - it's been England's choice to have 5-Testers since 2001, not Australia's, since given that we now play 7 Tests per summer it'd mean that 6 against Australia would have to mean 1 against someone else - and one-off Tests are now outlawed. Rightly, too, IMO.

So it's gone 2 vs someone and 5 vs Australia. Before that, when it was 6 Tests per summer, it was just 6 vs Australia.

It makes a bit of sense considering that the normal Australian summer contains six tests, and given Australia doesn't usually host another team during Ashes years it means one venue has to miss out each time around. It's not really necessary for the contest in any way, but I think I'd prefer a six test Ashes series to five and an additional two test series against another nation, given how poor two test series usually are.

It makes sense, yes, but it could not realistically happen without un-synchronising The Ashes and World Cups, and the latter would need to be done first.